# The Trump Administration: A Clusterfuck in the Making **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 7, 2016, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070 "2016-12-07T00:25:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 844
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16865 "2018-02-16T19:57:49Z")
I know it’s not really about the administration, but it _is_ about Trump and this just has ‘clusterfuck’ written all over it: [Trump’s affair with 1998 Playboy Playmate of the year Karen McDougal](https://apnews.com/b522486deff64311892adb684e7ebd51/Magazine-obtains-ex-playmate's-account-of-Trump-affair): > [@](#): > > President Donald Trump had a nine-month extramarital affair with the 1998 Playboy Playmate of the year beginning in 2006, showing the woman his wife’s bedroom in Trump Tower and bringing her to his private bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel, according to the woman’s eight-page, handwritten account of the relationship obtained by The New Yorker magazine. > > The woman, Karen McDougal, confirmed in the story published online Friday that she wrote the account but said she was constrained in what else she could say publicly about Trump because she’d signed a confidentiality agreement. Here’s the New Yorker story: [Donald Trump, a Playboy Model, and a System for Concealing Infidelity](https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/donald-trump-a-playboy-model-and-a-system-for-concealing-infidelity-national-enquirer-karen-mcdougal). ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16866 "2018-02-16T20:56:17Z")
Has Trump said even one word about the Olympics in general, or the US athletes in particular? ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16867 "2018-02-16T21:00:27Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Has Trump said even one word about the Olympics in general, or the US athletes in particular? Only if Trump Steaks was a sponsor. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16868 "2018-02-16T21:12:35Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I know it’s not really about the administration, but it _is_ about Trump and this just has ‘clusterfuck’ written all over it: [Trump’s affair with 1998 Playboy Playmate of the year Karen McDougal](https://apnews.com/b522486deff64311892adb684e7ebd51/Magazine-obtains-ex-playmate's-account-of-Trump-affair): > Here’s the New Yorker story: [Donald Trump, a Playboy Model, and a System for Concealing Infidelity](https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/donald-trump-a-playboy-model-and-a-system-for-concealing-infidelity-national-enquirer-karen-mcdougal). I can’t believe he cheated on Stormy. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16869 "2018-02-16T21:13:35Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Has Trump said even one word about the Olympics in general, or the US athletes in particular? anything he has to say would probably be [inappropriate](https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/shaun-white-sexual-harassment-gossip-1202698576/) ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16870 "2018-02-16T21:30:33Z")
[Just keep this list handy for the next year or so.](https://www.snopes.com/uploads/2017/05/santa-fe.png) ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16871 "2018-02-16T21:53:55Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > [Just keep this list handy for the next year or so.](https://www.snopes.com/uploads/2017/05/santa-fe.png) #15 seems prescient. ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16872 "2018-02-16T22:46:46Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > I can’t believe he cheated on Stormy. I am so stealing that. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2018, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16873 "2018-02-16T23:10:05Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > [Just keep this list handy for the next year or so.](https://www.snopes.com/uploads/2017/05/santa-fe.png) Whoa! Deja-fucking-vu! ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2018, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16874 "2018-02-17T01:18:26Z")
Wow… just replace Chappaquiddick with Benghazi. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2018, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16875 "2018-02-17T15:28:28Z")
It seems we have yet another example of how the Orange Shit Stain only hires the very best, top men… to drain the swamp. The inspector general of the Federal Communications Commission is investigating the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, for possibly having worked just a little to closely with far-right media conglomerate Sinclair Broadcasting in its attempt to purchase Tribune Media. Last April, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, led the charge for his agency to approve rules allowing television broadcasters to greatly increase the number of stations they own. A few weeks later, Sinclair Broadcasting announced a blockbuster $3.9 billion deal to buy Tribune Media — a deal those new rules made possible. By the end of the year, in a previously undisclosed move, the top internal watchdog for the F.C.C. opened an investigation into whether Mr. Pai and his aides had improperly pushed for the rule changes and whether they had timed them to benefit Sinclair, according to Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey and two congressional aides. Sinclair’s top lobbyist, a former F.C.C. official, also communicated frequently with former agency colleagues and pushed for the relaxation of media ownership rules. And language the lobbyist used about loosening rules has tracked closely to analysis and language used by Pai in speeches favoring such changes. In addition to Pai’s communications with Sinclair, the Democrats asked the IG to look into communications between Pai and the White House, referencing “a report in March 2017 from The New York Post, in which Mr. Trump is said to have met with Sinclair’s executive chairman, David Smith, and discussed F.C.C. rules.” The corruption never ends. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2018, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16876 "2018-02-17T22:13:52Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > … > The inspector general of the Federal Communications Commission is investigating the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, for possibly having worked just a little to closely with far-right media conglomerate Sinclair Broadcasting in its attempt to purchase Tribune Media. > > … The corruption never ends. True. But it’s always nice to see it being caught (and, one can hope, punished). (Encouraging that in the Trump era there still is such a thing as an independent Inspector General for a federal agency. Though I suppose that now, they’ll prioritize getting rid of such pesky holdovers from the Rule of Law era…) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2018, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16877 "2018-02-17T23:21:43Z")
Thump makes the supreme sacrifice. [Trump says he is skipping golf to honor the Florida shooting victims: report](http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/374397-trump-says-he-is-skipping-golf-to-honor-the-florida-shooting-victims) > [@](#): > > President Trump reportedly skipped a day at the golf course on Saturday in the wake of the Florida school shooting that took place just miles from his Mar-a-Lago beach club. > > White House aides told Bloomberg that the decision not to golf was a show of respect for the victims and grieving families of the school shooting in Florida. What a guy! > [@](#): > > “It’s sad something like that could happen,” he said… Apparently thump hasn’t heard about the other shootings since Columbine/1999. Well, we know he doesn’t read. > [@](#): > > While there, he joked with the police officer who arrested Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old suspected shooter who reportedly plans to plead guilty to 17 counts of premeditated murder. Words fail me. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16878 "2018-02-18T00:04:07Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Thump makes the supreme sacrifice. > > [Trump says he is skipping golf to honor the Florida shooting victims: report](http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/374397-trump-says-he-is-skipping-golf-to-honor-the-florida-shooting-victims) > What a guy! > > Apparently thump hasn’t heard about the other shootings since Columbine/1999. Well, we know he doesn’t read. > > Words fail me. [Get a load of this!](https://i.redd.it/fou255ip4sg01.jpg) Thumbs up! Big smile! Mass murder! Picture this: Barack Obama is found to have cheated on his wife with two different women and then had them paid off. That would be cool, right? I’m sure the “conservatives” wouldn’t even mention it. The only positive thing about dragging Trump’s sordid activities into the light is finally getting to put the whole “family values” nonsense to rest. Principles, morality, faith…it’s all been exposed as mealy-mouthed, hypocritical bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16879 "2018-02-18T00:29:27Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Thump makes the supreme sacrifice. > > [Trump says he is skipping golf to honor the Florida shooting victims: report](http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/374397-trump-says-he-is-skipping-golf-to-honor-the-florida-shooting-victims) > What a guy! > > Apparently thump hasn’t heard about the other shootings since Columbine/1999. Well, we know he doesn’t read. > > Words fail me. Yeah he went directly from “grieving” to attending a disco party at Mar a Lago. > **[Trump Attends Mar-a-Lago Disco Party After Meeting with Florida Shooting...](https://www.mediaite.com/online/trump-attends-mar-a-lago-disco-party-after-meeting-with-florida-shooting-survivors/)** > > President Donald Trump met with survivors of the Parkland, Florida high school shooting on Friday, before heading to his Mar-a-Lago resort for a disco-themed party. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16880 "2018-02-18T00:40:18Z")
Disco? I thought supporting the nazis was bad enough, but this! ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16881 "2018-02-18T00:58:30Z")
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley: "There are two groups that have created chaos more than the Russians and that’s the Democrats and the mainstream media.” > **[White House spokesman: Dems, media have created more ‘chaos’ than the Russians](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/374360-white-house-spokesman-dems-media-have-created-more-chaos-than-the/)** > > A White House spokesman accused Democrats and the mainstream news media of creating more recent “chaos” in America than the Russian government. In an interview with “Fox … He’s a Huckabee/Santorum operative. > **[Hogan Gidley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogan_Gidley)** > > John Hogan Gidley is an American political aide who served as White House Deputy Press Secretary from 2019 to 2020 in the Donald Trump administration. In July 2020, Gidley became the press secretary of President Donald Trump's re-election campaign. > Gidley was born in El Dorado, Arkansas. He graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in broadcast journalism and a minor in political science in 1998. In college, Gidley was a member of the Young Republicans and of the Sigma Chi fra... ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16882 "2018-02-18T01:17:49Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > The only positive thing about dragging Trump’s sordid activities into the light is finally getting to put the whole “family values” nonsense to rest. Principles, morality, faith…it’s all been exposed as mealy-mouthed, hypocritical bullshit. Intelligent people already knew it was hypocritical BS. But the faithful will still demonize the Democrats for the same behaviours they ignore in their own. It’s not put to rest. It is simply obvious hypocrisy and they don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16883 "2018-02-18T03:01:12Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > I am so stealing that. Feel free, I stole the idea from Borowitz. One of his readers referred to the Playmate affair as just another of Trump’s mulligans. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070/16884 "2018-02-18T03:10:26Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > I have a book titled _Pissin’ In The Snow And Other Ozark Folktales._ > Here’s an excerpt in [Google Books](https://books.google.com/books/about/Pissing_in_the_Snow_and_Other_Ozark_Folk.html?id=CGP0_AhD0J0C&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button#v=onepage&q&f=false) that is the original joke/story dating from the very late 1880-90s. > > Scroll down to the table of contents, you can read the original story. > [@Johanna](#): > > I remember that from the Nixon administration. But the original version of the joke was collected decades before that by Vance Randolph, published as _Pissing in the Snow: and Other Ozark Folktales_. It wasn’t published until 1976, because it was the dirty-joke collection, but the material had been collected back in the 1920s–30s. > > Edit, too late: Curse you, ninja **running coach**! > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > Sadly, I first read the joke in [_The Official Rednecks Joke Book_](https://www.amazon.com/Official-Rednecks-Joke-Book/dp/0553241060). My 10th grade geometry teacher (god rest her soul) confiscated it. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I believe the original joke was discovered written in hieroglyphics when they [opened King Tut’s Tomb](http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/archaeologist-opens-tomb-of-king-tut), which BTW was 94 years ago tomorrow (Feb 16). King Tut: _What the fuck is SNOW?"_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=843) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-trump-administration-a-clusterfuck-in-the-making/774070.md?page=845)